Teen involved in Fraser fatal stabbing case killed in car crash, ending criminal case

A Warren teen was killed in a car crash this week in Clinton Township, putting an end to a criminal case that left two teenagers injured in a stabbing — including the youth who died — and one dead.

Collin West, 18, died in a crash Tuesday in Clinton Township, said Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido and West's attorney Jeffrey Cojocar.

Cojocar said West was driving to work.

Clinton Township police said in a press release that the three-car crash was at 7:14 a.m. Tuesday on Groesbeck Highway near Macomb Industrial Drive.

West and another driver collided as he crossed into the center lane of Groesbeck at the same time the other driver was merging into the center lane, according to the statement. He went into oncoming traffic and struck a second vehicle, police said.

The other two drivers had minor injuries, but West died after being taken to McLaren Macomb Hospital.

In a hearing Thursday in Macomb County Circuit Court, Cojocar informed the judge that West died in a crash.

West pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to assault with the intent to do great bodily harm and second-degree home invasion. Two original charges, attempted murder and first-degree home invasion, were dismissed with his plea. He originally faced a felony murder charge, but it was dismissed in district court. He was set to be sentenced April 26.

West, who was 16 at the time, 16-year-old Isabella Bridges, 15-year-old Emma Morgan and 14-year-old Trent Redstrom broke into the Fraser home of a 14-year-old classmate, where four other teens were. They were threatening to kill one of the teens, the 14-year-old testified at the July preliminary exam.

West, Trent and the 14-year-old's friend were stabbed during the home invasion. Trent later died from his injuries. The 14-year-old killed Trent during the home invasion, but the killing was ruled self-defense by the Macomb County prosecutor.

The 14-year-old testified that when the foursome broke into his home, he was scared and went to grab his dad's military knife from his bedroom. West had a knife as well. Trent backed the teen into a spare bedroom and began punching him in the head, he testified, and he stabbed him. The 14-year-old also stabbed West when he saw West straddling his friend and stabbing him. He pushed West off using his hand and the knife, stabbing him in the process, he testified.

Cojocar wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court that the legal victims in the case should have been charged because they were more responsible for Trent's death and West's stabbing than West was. He said, and has said previously, that the facts of the case "could not be in more dispute."

Cojocar told The Detroit News that there were so many different versions of what happened that day it was "unbelievable." He said he thinks the "legal victims" in the case should have been charged, citing some of the texts and Snapchat messages they sent before and after the shooting. They showed their "true intentions" in those messages, he said. In one message, the 14-year-old's friend, identified as CH, said: "I hope collin died and im going to piss on trent's grave when I figure out we're it is."

In the 911 call, Cojocar said in his sentencing memorandum, the 14-year-old showed his true thoughts.

"I just told you bro, I just killed three people. I stabbed four people in the necks or something," the teen said.

West wrote in a letter to Judge Michael Servitto that he never intended to stab anyone, and he had only wanted to fight the 14-year-old's friend.

"I've spent many nights and days thinking about how this could have been avoided and resolved in an appropriate way but unfortunately at the time nobody was thing about the outcomes within the time it happened," West wrote. "I would never wish this on anybody and I sincerely apologize to everybody affected by my actions. I would do whatever to take this back but all I can do is improve myself and continue bettering my mindset because I lost one of my best friends and I will never forget that and the remorse I feel for letting him get hurt and it truly made me open my eyes and fight for a better real future to make Trent, My family, and myself proud," he wrote.

Lucido described West's death and the case as a tragedy.

"This was just overall a very, very tragic incident that happened, from the stabbing all the way through now to the death of the accused in this," Lucido said.

Isabella and Emma both pleaded guilty; Isabella to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery and one count of third-degree home invasion and Emma to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery and one count of third-degree home invasion.

Both were sentenced under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which means if they successfully complete their probation, their convictions will become nonpublic.

kberg@detroitnews.com